The University of Wyoming has announced that it will be discontinuing its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. However, the university plans to relocate the office’s staff and programs to other departments following recent legislation signed by the governor.
The decision to eliminate the department was made after a budget bill signed into law by Gov. Mark Gordon resulted in a $1.73 million cut from the university’s budget of $503.7 million. Despite this, Gordon utilized a line-item veto to preserve DEI programming, opting to only remove the dedicated office.
Similar to Wyoming, other states have also implemented anti-DEI legislation that has faced criticism for appearing to ban the terms “diversity, equity, and inclusion” without effectively addressing the underlying racial and gender-focused ideologies associated with these concepts.
University President Ed Seidel acknowledged the need to adjust their approach to DEI issues in response to legislative actions, while also recognizing the importance of maintaining services essential for the success of students, faculty, and staff.
Although the University of Wyoming will no longer consider DEI statements or the ideology in employment criteria or reviews, it remains committed to upholding services that have served the community for decades. In instances where certain programs are deemed crucial for student support, such as the Wyoming Latina Youth Conference and Women in STEM activities, efforts will be made to secure private funding to sustain them.
While the DEI office will be dissolved, responsibilities such as federal Title VI compliance, support for religious accommodations, and Americans with Disabilities Act coordination will be reassigned to other university units. A new vice provost position will be established within the Office of the Provost to oversee this transition and also serve as a special adviser to the president.
